2026/27 Season Student Matinee
Advisory Guide
FIRST MÉTIS MAN OF ODESA
September 8 - September 27, 2026
Written by Matthew Mackenzie and Mariya Khomutova Directed by Lianna Makuch
Martha Cohen Theatre
Based on true events, this moving love story unfolds against the twin backdrops of the recent pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Award-winning playwright Matthew MacKenzie and acclaimed Ukrainian actor Mariya Khomutova not only created the piece—they also perform it themselves, bringing their own story of pandemic courtship to life on stage and offering an intimate lens on love, separation, and war.
Tender, thoughtful, and quietly uplifting, this new Canadian work bridges time, distance, and borders. We are honoured to open the season with this beautiful story in the Martha Cohen Theatre.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 7 and up
Student Matinees: September 16 & 23, 2026
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Falling in love and major current political upheaval. Some light sexual content/implied. Awareness of Ukranian conflict recommended.
Running Time: 90 minutes - NO intermission
See select script examples of advisories below.
Please note - while the most explicit examples are provided, not every mention of the same advisory is listed. For instance, a word may appear more than once in the script but is only identified by one example below. For all script notes, please contact Theatre Calgary’s Education & Outreach Associate.
Page 4:
MASHA: In Canada, you have subtext?
MATT: Yes.
MASHA: It sounds like she’s saying, “I don’t want to answer your questions— Canada, fuck off.”
MATT: Perhaps.
(MASHA shrugs.)
MATT: Masha scared the b’Jesus out of my Canadian colleagues and myself.
Page 18/19:
MATT: When I do realize that the Red Sparrow is you, I will kiss you softly on the crown of your head, and you will transform into my Masha. And we will say—
(A moment.)
MATT: After a particularly poetic exchange one evening, Masha casually informs me before I go to sleep one night that she’s—
MASHA: Late.
MATT: (Still in poetic state.) Late. MASHA Late, late.
(Beat. Beat.)
MATT: We agree that Masha will take a pregnancy test the next morning, when I’m awake and have my wits about me.
MASHA: But I can’t wait.
….
MATT: You want to go through with the pregnancy.
MASHA: Are you joking?
MATT: No—yes, it’s just, it’s just something people consider, considering there’s a lot to consider—
Page 29:
MATT: Every time Masha feels a contraction coming on, she rallies the nurses with a—
“Come on, girls!”
Page 40:
MASHA: So, I go. To Niagara. I rent a little room in a hotel, with a view of the falls. I buy a bottle of champagne, a pack of cigarettes... I sit and smoke on the balcony, trying to feel the freedom I used to have before. Before I was married. Before I gave birth. Like I am in Ukraine, before the war, young and hopeful.
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
September 29 - October 25, 2026
Book & Lyrics by Howard Ashman, Music by Alan Menken Directed by Tracey Flye
Max Bell Theatre
“Feed me Seymour!” In this deviously delightful blend of comedy, romance, and rock ’n’ roll, timid florist Seymour discovers a mysterious plant with a taste for blood. As the plant grows, so do the stakes, leading to a darkly comic tale about ambition, love, and the price of getting what you wish for.
Featuring an unforgettable score inspired by 1960s pop, doo-wop, and Motown, this cult-favourite musical is equal parts charm and bite. We’re thrilled to welcome audiences to Skid Row as this cult classic creeps onto the Theatre Calgary stage.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 7 and up
Student Matinees: October 7, 14, & 21, 2026
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Domestic violence, comedic violence, blood, murder
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
See select script examples of advisories below.
Please note - while the most explicit examples are provided, not every mention of the same advisory is listed. For instance, a word may appear more than once in the script but is only identified by one example below. For all script notes, please contact Theatre Calgary’s Education & Outreach Associate.
Any CAPITALIZED text you see are song lyrics.
Page 5:
MUSHNIK: [quickly moving back to the shop] Audrey, you’d better go back there and see what he’s… [He gets a good look at her for the first time] Audrey. Where’d you get that shiner?
AUDREY: [taking the roses from the work table and arranging them in a vase] Shiner?
MUSHNIK: Audrey, that greasy boyfriend of yours – he’s been beating up on you again? [she doesn’t answer] I’m beginning to think he’s maybe not such a nice boy.
AUDREY: You don’t meet nice boys when you live on Skid Row, Mr Mushnik.
……
AUDREY: Don’t yell at Seymour, Mr Mushnik.
SEYMOUR: [looking up from the floor] Hi Audrey. You look radiant today. Is that new eye-make up?
Page 8:
GIRLS: UPTOWN YOU CATER TO A MILLION WHORES
YOU DISINFECT TERRAZZO ON THEIR BATHROOM FLOORS
YOUR MORNING’S TRIBULATION, AFTERNOON’S A CURSE
AND FIVE O’CLOCK IS EVEN WORSE
WINO #1: THAT’S WHEN YOU GO
Page 20:
[Tidying the worktable around the plant. See appendix Note 2] I’VE GIVEN YOU GROW LIGHTS AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME? BLOOD? [As he works, he pricks his finger on a rose thorn.]
SEYMOUR: [spoken] Ouch! [The PLANT opens it’s flytrap-like “mouth”. But SEYMOUR doesn’t catch it] Damned roses! Damned thorns! Clumsy me. Look what I did Twoey! [He shows the finger to THE PLANT and notices that it is open] Hey! You’re opening up! What made you do that
Page:35
CHIFFON: [with a glance to CRYSTAL] You ain’t by any chance talkin’ about a girl with a black eye?
CRYSTAL: And several other medical problems?
ORIN: As a matter of fact… [Suddenly the GIRLS descend upon him full-force, CRYSTAL and CHIFFON backing him to C and RONNETTE, who has been watching, approaching him from behind]
DIAMOND: That’s him! That’s the one!
CHIFFON: Who do you think you are treating her that way? Get outa here and don’t come back!
RONNETTE: [spinning him round to face her] Beat it! Get lost! ORIN: Ladies! Ladies! Please! I’m friendly! [He removes an inhaler from his pocket and offers it] You want some nitrous oxide? 14
LIBERTY: Why don’t you get lost, scumbag? The last thing Audrey needs is more of your kind.
ORIN: My kind is very nice ladies. I’m not a monster.
RONNETTE: What else would you call it?
ORIN: I would call it… [quickly inhaling some nitrous oxide] I would call it an occupational hazard.
CRYSTAL: Say what?
ORIN: You see girls, my line of work requires a certain fascination with human pain and suffering. [He inhales again and gives a little whoop] This stuff is great. Allow me to explain.
……
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, JUST A BAD LITTLE KID MY MAMA NOTICED FUNNY THINGS I DID – LIKE SHOOTIN’ PUPPIES WITH A B.B GUN I’D POISON GUPPIES, AND WHEN I WAS DONE I’D FIND A PUSSYCAT AND BASH IN IT’S HEAD THAT’S WHEN MY MAMA SAID –
Page 40-41:
AUDREY: Seymour’s very loyal.
ORIN: Somebody talking to you?
AUDREY: Oh… no…. Excuse me.
ORIN: Excuse me what?
AUDREY: Excuse me, doctor.
……
ORIN: Sorry, what/
AUDREY: Im sorry, Doctor… Doctor… Sorry, Doctor.
ORIN: You gotta train ‘em eh stud?
Page 49:
AUDREY 2: Must be blood!
SEYMOUR: Twoey, thats disgusting.
AUDREY 2: Must be fresh!
SEYMOUR: I dont want to hear this.
AUDREY 2: FEED ME!
SEYMOUR: Does it have to be human?
….
SEYMOUR: You eat blood, Audrey Two. Let’s face it. How’m I supposed to keep feeding you? Kill people? PLANT: I’ll make it worth your while.
Page 54-55:
ORIN: Stupid woman@ Christ, who a friggin scatterbrained!
AUDREY: Im sorry Doctor! Im sorry Doctor!
ORIN: Now get the hell in there and pick up the goddam sweater!
AUDREY: Yes Doctor! Right away Doctor!
Hi Seymour, I left my sweater here before.
ORIN: C’mon movie it, ya little slut. How do ya like that stupid dare? Forgets her sweater.
Christ, if your stupid head weren’t screwed on!
He slaps her.
AUDREY: Orin! That hurt!
SEYOUR & AUDREY 2:
IF YOU WANT A RATIONALE, IT ISN’T VERY HARD TO SEE STOP AND THINK IT OVER PAL THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME! THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME! THE GUY SURE LOOKS LIKE PLANT FOOD TO ME! SEYMOUR: HE’S SO NASTY, TREATIN’ HER ROUGH PLANT: SMACKIN’ HER AROUND AND ALWAYS TALKIN’ SO TOUGH SEYMOUR: YOU NEED BLOOD AND HE’S GOT MORE THAN ENOUGH PLANT: I NEED BLOOD AND HE’S GOT MORE THAN ENOUGH ALL: (I) (YOU) NEED BLOOD AND HE’S GOT MORE THAN ENOUGH! PLANT: SO GO GIT IT!
Page 57-58:
ORIN: And the gun.
SEYMOUR: R…right.
ORIN: SO why are you pointing a gun at me, Seymour?
…..
ORIN: Nitrous oxide.
SEYMOUR: Thank God. I thought you weren’t goi ng to use any.
ORIN: Oh the gas isn’t for you, Seymour. Its for me.
….
SEYMOUR: DO IT NOW! JUST A LITTLE PRESSURE
RIGHT HERE ON THE TRIGGER
ORIN: IT’S JUST GAS-
ITS GOT ME HIGH-
SEYMOUR: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS A TRICKY MORAL PROBLEM
DO I HELP REOMVE THE MASK OR LET HIM GO FOR LACK OF AIR?
Page 60:
(ORIN silently convulses four times, as if laughing or hiccoughing, without making a sound. Then, on the last beat, he freezes in mid convulsion. )
SEYMOUR: Death?
Page 65:
SEYMOUR in a blood stained jacket feeding body parts to AUDREY 2.
Page 75:
AUDREY: I deserved a creep like Orin Scrivello, D. D. S.You know where I met him? In the Gutter.
SEYMOUR: The gutter?
AUDREY: The Gutter. Its a nightspot. I worked there on my night off when we weren’t making much morning. I’d put on cheap and tasteless outfits. Not nice ones like this. Low and nasty apparel and I’d….
…..
SEYMOUR: Underneath the bruises and the handcuffs, you know what I saw? A girl I respected.
Page 88:
AUDREY 2 eats MUSHNIK.
Page 98:
And bullets… and rat poison… and a machete. Tomorrow morning… right after Life magazine takes our picture- you know who bites the dust!
….
AUDREY: What feedings? What blood?
Page 103:
AUDREY 2 captures AUDREY.
AUDREY teaches further, takes her last breath, and dies as SEYMOUR scoops her up into his arms.
Page 107:
SEYMOUR: Maybe you’re tough on the outside. But in there! In that pod… Ill hack you to bits! Ill get you r from the inside! Open cup!
He tries to pry it open with the machete.
….
AUDREY 2 eats and kills SEYMOUR.
Page 109:
Dead characters return to warn that the plants are spreading.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
November 24 - December 27, 2026
Written by Charles Dickens Adapted for the stage by Geoffrey Simon Brown Directed by Stafford Arima Associate Director - Jane MacFarlane
Max Bell Theatre
Geoffrey Simon Brown’s beloved adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic returns to the Theatre Calgary stage, continuing a treasured holiday tradition. Follow Ebenezer Scrooge on a transformative Christmas Eve journey as three mysterious spirits guide him through his past, present, and possible future—revealing the enduring power of compassion, generosity, and second chances.
Filled with warmth, wonder, and timeless storytelling, A Christmas Carol brings audiences together year after year. We’re delighted to welcome Calgary families and friends back to this cherished seasonal celebration.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 1 and up
Student Matinees: November 24, 25 & December 2, 3, 9, 2026
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Some scary moments
Running Time: 2 hours with intermission
TRUE WEST
February 2 - 21, 2027
Written by Sam Shephard Directed by Michael Shamata
Max Bell Theatre
Sam Shepard’s gripping modern classic explores sibling rivalry, identity, and the fragile promise of the American dream. When disciplined screenwriter Austin’s quiet work retreat is interrupted by his estranged brother Lee, a drifter and petty thief, their reunion ignites a volatile struggle for recognition, success, and control. As Hollywood ambition and long-buried resentments collide, the line between creation and destruction begins to blur.
Raw, darkly funny, and psychologically charged, True West exposes the tensions that lie beneath family bonds and the myths we tell ourselves about who we are. This production features Calgary brothers Joe Perry and Stafford Perry, both returning to the Theatre Calgary stage to bring Shepard’s iconic sibling rivalry to life.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 10 and up
Student Matinees: February 10 & 17, 2027
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Mature themes, strong language, violence, alcohol/drunkenness
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
See select script examples of advisories below.
Please note - while the most explicit examples are provided, not every mention of the same advisory is listed. For instance, a word may appear more than once in the script but is only identified by one example below. For all script notes, please contact Theatre Calgary’s Education & Outreach Associate.
Page 7:
Cigarette burning in ashtray…. Beer in hand.
Page 11:
LEE: That's a dumb line. That is a dumb fuckin’ line. You git paid for dreamin’ up a line like that?
Pushes him away.
Page 13:
LEE: Damn coyotes kept me awake.
AUSTIN: oh yeah, I heard them. That must’ve killed somebody’s dog or something.
Page 21:
LEE: Snapping towels at each others privates.
Page 23:
LEE: And when he hears that shot he knows that his horse has died….. And you know that he’s died too.
Page 26:
Number one, he realized that the guy thin him is the husband of the woman he’s been-
Lee makes a gesture of screwing by pumping his arms.
Page 27:
???? What! Men don’t fuck other men’s women?
Page _:
???? After you break not peoples houses and take their televisions ?
Page 37:
Lee makes a sudden menacing lunge toward Austin, wielding a golf club above his head.
Page 40:
AUSTIN: I gave him money! I already gave him money. You know that. He drank it all up!
Page 43:
Austin sits up sprawled out on the kitchen floor with whiskey bottle, drunk. *Austin is drunk through this scene.
Page 52-53:
Lee smashes the typewriter. Lees comes down on the typewriter with on final crushing blow off the nine-iron then collapses in one of the chairs, takes a drink from the bottle.
Page 53:
LEE: is it too late to call a woman? You know any women?
AUSTIN: I'm a married man.
LEE: I mean a local woman.
Page 62:
LEE: Intimate- That means like uh- sexual right?
Page 68:
They crash into the table, to the floor, Lee is face down thrashing wildly and choking, Austin pulls the cord tighter, stands with one foot planted on Lee’s back and the cord stretched taut.
MOM: You’re not killing him are you?
AUSTIN: I dont know. I don’t know if I'm killing him. I'm stopping him. That’s all. I'm just stopping him.
….
AUSTIN: I cant stop choking him! He’ll kill me if I stop choking him!
….
MOM: Well you cant kill him.
AUSTIN: I can kill him! I can easily kill him. Right now. Right here. All I gotta do is just tighten up. See?
He tightened the cord, Lee thrashes wildly, Austin releases pressure a little maintaining control..
Page 71:
Lee makes no response. Austin slowly releases tension on cord, still nothing from Lee.
AUSTIN: Lee?
Lee is motionless, Austin very slowly begins to stand still keeping a tenuous hold on the cord and his eyes riveted to Lee for any sign of movement, Austin slowly drops the cord and stands, he stare at Lee who appears to be dead.
….
Instantly Lee is on his feet and moves toward the exit, blocking Austins escape. They square off to each other, keeping distance between them.
SENSE & SENSIBILITY
March 30 - April 25, 2027
Adapted by Jessica B. Hill & Daryl Cloran Based on the novel by Jane Austen Directed by Daryl Cloran
Max Bell Theatre
Jane Austen’s beloved classic comes to life on the Theatre Calgary stage for the very first time in a delightful new adaptation. When the Dashwood sisters are left with little to their name, sensible Elinor and passionate Marianne must navigate the complicated world of society, reputation, and courtship—each guided by her own heart and instincts.
Filled with wit, romance, and keen observations of human nature, Sense & Sensibility is a charming and heartfelt story about love, resilience, and the balance between reason and emotion.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 7 and up
Student Matinees: April 7, 14 & 21, 2027
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Play centres around romance and mature relationships
Running Time: TBD
PETER PAN GOES WRONG
May 25 - June 20, 2027
Written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer & Henry Shields Directed by Andrew MacDonald-Smith
Max Bell Theatre
The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is back—and this time, they’re taking flight with a high-flying production of Peter Pan! What could possibly go wrong? Absolutely everything.
From missed cues and collapsing scenery to flying mishaps and theatrical disasters of epic proportions, our endearingly earnest (and wildly unprepared) troupe battles to keep the show afloat as it spirals spectacularly out of control.
This sequel to the international smash hit The Play That Goes Wrong delivers bigger laughs, bigger chaos, and bigger theatrical catastrophe. We’re thrilled to welcome the hilariously unpredictable “Goes Wrong” phenomenon back to the Theatre Calgary stage—where the only thing guaranteed is that nothing will go according to plan.
Grade Recommendation: Grade 5 and up
Student Matinees: June 2, 3, & 9, 2027
Student Matinee Start Time: 11:00 am
Advisory: Rampant slapstick violence, some innuendo/implied sexual content
Running Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes with intermission
See select script examples of advisories below.
Please note - while the most explicit examples are provided, not every mention of the same advisory is listed. For instance, a word may appear more than once in the script but is only identified by one example below. For all script notes, please contact Theatre Calgary’s Education & Outreach Associate.
Page 18:
Chris slowly puts the handle of the scissors in Dennis’ mouth and pulls them other. …. He finally yanks the scissors out and accidentally stabs himself in the leg. He screams in pain.
Page 19:
Annie opens the door, again smashing Robert’s face into the side of the chest.
Page 21:
Chris opens the door. Annie is midway through getting changed, she covers herself and Chris quickly closes the door.
Page 26:
ROBERT: Jesus Christ!
Page 27:
JONATHAN: There is a fairy somewhere that falls down dead.
Page 28:
Jonathan accidentally kicks Robert, who falls backwards out of the window with a huge crash.
Page 29:
The fly lines attached to Sandra, Max and Dennis all suddenly pulled up, but the lines tear off their costumes leaving them all standing in their underwear in a line onstage. (They are in their underwear for several minutes)
Page 42:
CHRIS’ VOICE: Jonathan’s playing Peter Pan and Sandra’s playing Wend; they shouldn’t be sleeping together.
ROBERT’S VOICE: He’s supposed to be the boy who wouldn’t grow up, not the boy who couldn’t keep it in his pants. And she’s just as bad! Flirting with everybody!
….
ROBERT’S VOICE: What a loser.
Page 43:
Jonathan shoots up out of sight into the rig, screaming, the cast look up to the rig helplessly, waving for Jonathan to be brought down.
…
We see Jonathan’s body suddenly drop from the rig and straight down onto the stage.
Page 44:
ROBERT: Peter Pan took a rather nasty, un rehearsed fall.
Page 49:
Trevor is jerked erratically back and forth around the stage smashing into the set.
Page 49-50:
Trevor is smashed about the set. Trevor remains suspended in the air. Robert pokes I’m with the end of a broom in an attempt to wake him Robert then enters, checks his pulse and, satisfied that he’s still alive, phases his motionless body of stage.
Page 52:
MAX’s VOICE: Peter gets to do all the fun stuff.
CHRIS’ VOICE: You mean like kissing Sandra?
MAX’S VOICE: Maybe….
CHRIS’ VOICE: You know she’s in a relationship with Jonathan?
Page 54:
(Max, playing Peter, is in love with Sandra, playing Wendy).
MAX: No. I shall stay here and always be a little boy and have fun.
SANDRA: Then you must… kiss me goodbye, Peter.
Sandra runs past Max to Jonathan and kisses him (it will likely be a slightly inappropriate kiss between the two characters who are pretending to play Peter and Wendy.)
Page 60:
Annie and Jonathan are now lying on the table, kissing passionately. Sandra stands in the red door watching in horror. She runs at Jonathan and slaps him, jumps on his back and hits him with his hat.
…..
Jonathan tries to kiss Sandra, but she pushes him away.
Page 63-66:
Excessive slapstick violence throughout. Ending in Sandra kisses Max.